Democratic US. Senate candidate Tammy Baldwin speaks during a campaign rally for President Barack Obama at Austin Straubel International Airport in Ashwaubenon on Nov. 1.

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The first impression Senator-elect Tammy Baldwin gives can be extremely misleading, perhaps dangerously so for a potential political opponent.

Baldwin's soft-spoken, mild-mannered demeanor appears to be at odds with the character traits necessary by someone who has just survived one of the most negative political campaigns of the season.

But underneath Baldwin's veneer of serenity, longtime friends and allies say, is a quiet determination and strength that has enabled her to succeed in the oft-times rough and tumble world of politics, breaking barriers along the way as an openly gay ...